Conventional lateral chain links are known for conveyor belts, particularly for food, which are constituted by a substantially U-shaped body, made either completely of sheet metal, or completely of plastic material, with the front portion shaped so as to be inserted between the two facing end parts of the rear portion of a facing identical link.
The front portion has two longitudinally extending symmetrical slots for the passage and traverse of an end portion of a rod-like element of the conveyor belt of which the chain link is part.
The rear portion has, on each one of its end parts, a hole for the insertion of an end portion of an additional rod-like element.
The outer rear end part has a lateral tab which is contoured to mesh with a toothed wheel, or with a chain, or with a toothed belt, of associated means of entrainment, and furthermore has a lower tipping-preventing side wall, which is adapted to be arranged below the sliding guide of the lateral chain.
A similar link is described and claimed in EP 2248741 B1, in the name of ALIT S. R. L.
Such links, although widespread and appreciated both in the sheet metal version, and in the embodiment made of plastic material, show room for improvement, in both types.
A first drawback is constituted by the fact that both types of links are composed of a single piece.
This implies that when the lateral meshing tab or the tipping-preventing side wall become worn to the point that they compromise the stability of the motion of the conveyor belt, and replacement is necessary, such replacement is highly complex and laborious, requiring the disassembly of a section of the belt, the removal of the link from the end portions of the longitudinal elements, the mounting of the new link and subsequent assembly to the rest of the belt.
Such series of unavoidable operations require time and labor, and involve a wasteful discarding of components, i.e. links, which are unusable owing to the wear of a limited few portions, while they might be intact in the remaining parts.
Moreover, links made of plastic material, for example made of plastic material with a low friction coefficient, have better slideability properties than links made of sheet metal, while links made of sheet metal make it possible to provide conveyor belts that are capable of supporting heavier loads than what can be achieved with links made of plastic material.
Thus, a need exists for a link for a lateral chain for conveyor belts, which, in the event of wear of a portion thereof, allows the rapid and economical restoration of the functionality of the conveyor belt of which it is part.